Combination waist and skirt supporter.



PATENTED JULY 28, 1908.

' T. KENNELL. I

COMBINATION WAIST AND SKIRT SUPPORTER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.19, 1906. I

' Svwentoz 7'. F627 waZ Z l/vi h aboeo TILLIE KENNELL, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

COMBINATION WAIST AND SKIRT SUPPORTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 28, 1908.

Application filed November 19, 1906. Serial No. 344,091.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TILLIE KENNELL, citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combination Waist and Skirt Supporters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention appertains to means for preventing the sagging of ladies and misses skirts and to secure the waist from creeping upward, so as to maintain a neat and tidy appearance at the waist line and prevent gaping or parting of the waist and skirt.

The purpose of the invention is to provide means which will obviate ury to the hands and at the same time preclude the formation of an unsightly and objectionable projection where the operating or retaining members are located.

The invention consists of a belt and a series of retainers or holders of such formation as to lie close together and prevent the formation of a hump orprotuberances at points corresponding to the position of the said retainers, when the supporter is in operative position.

The invention consists of the novel features, details of construction and novel combination of parts which hereinafter will be more particu arly set forth and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1. is a perspective view of a combination waist and skirt supporter embodying the invention. Fig. 2. is an edge view of a portion of the su porter showing the series of retainers or he ders arranged in a group and over-lapped. Fig. 3. is a detail perspective view of a skirt retainer or holder. Fig.

4. is a detail view of the'waist retainer or holder.

Corresponding and like parts are referred passed. The retainer's or holders are located at different points in the length of the belt so as to occupy a position in the rear and at the sides of the wearer so as to distribute the restraining means upon the wearing apparel to prevent sagging of the skirt and upward creeping of the waist.

The waist retainers or holders 2 consist of oblong plates each having a slot 3 near each end and having the intermediate portion between the slots 3, studded with points or teeth 4, the latter being provided in any manner preferably by piercing the plate, the up-set portions, surrounding the openings, forming a rasped surface, which makes positive engagement with the material of the waist or body garment. In order to prevent injury to delicate fabrics, such as silk, satin or other textiles of delicate weave, it is highly important that the points or teeth 4 be exceedingly fine and provided in sufficient number to make positive engagement with the waist so as to obviate possible slip ing thereof after the parts have been proper y adjusted. Retainers 2 are located on the belt where they will in practice come at the sides of the wearer, and other retainers 2 are placed on the belt where they will occupy a position in the center of the back of the wearer so as to engage with the waist or like garment and hold the same in place. hen the supporter is in position, the toothed sides of the retainers face inward or towards the body of the wearer so as to penetrate or take firm hold of the goods. The belt is passed through the transverse slots 3, near the ends of the retainers and the portions of the belt between said slots are located upon the outer side of the retainers and opposite to the inner or toothed portions thereof.

The skirt retainers or holders 5, are both of like formation, each consisting of an oblong plate having transverse slots 6, near opposite ends for the passage therethrough of the belt 1. Each plate forming a retainer 5, is provided with a longitudinal opening 7, centrally disposed between the longitudinal edges of the plate and extending between the transverse slots 6. The edge portions of the plate bordering upon the longitudinal open ing 7 are provided with teeth 8 that are formed with the metal resulting from the formation of the longitudinal slot or opening 7 and are bent outward both from the same face of the plate and slightly curved, thereby giving to the two sets 8 of teeth or serrations an inclination sufiicient to cause them to engage with the waist band of the skirt and prevent downward displacement thereof. The teeth of the upper set point upwardly while the teeth of the lower set point downwardly as shown. The skirt retainers or holders are arranged with the teeth or serrations 8 facing outward so as to engage with the skirt band when the supporter is in serviceable position: The retainers 5 are arranged exterior to the waist retainers and opposite the spaces formed between adjacent waist retainers with the result that pressure applied to either set of retainers is transmitted to the other set of retainers, the action being mutual or reciprocal.

. Preferably the outer ends of the outer- .most retainers of the series at the back of the wearer are bent outwardly slightly as indicated'in Figs. 1 and 2, so that the waist belt in stretched condition will not tend to force these retainers away from the waist.

In the practical application of the supporter, the same is secured about the waist of the wearer over the shirtwaist or like garment and the waist-band of the skirt is arranged to encircle the belt, and when drawn taut and secured in the accustomed manner, the teeth or serrations of the skirt retainers penetrate the waist-band of the skirt and the pressure of the latter and the belt cause the teeth of the waist retainers to penetrate or take firm hold of the shirt-waist with the result that the latter is prevented from upward displacement and the skirt prevented from downward displacement, thereby securing and maintaining a proper set of the garments and holding themin fixed position.

It is to be observed that the teeth or points 4, do not project to any appreciable extent from the plates of the waist retainers and the same is true of the teeth 8, of the skirt retainers, hence the two sets of retainers or holders lie close together and occupy a minimum amount of space between the waist bands of the upper and lower garments such as the shirtwaist and skirt, thereby preventing humps or projections at the waist. It is also to be observed that the plates 2 and 5 overlap at their ends with their slots 3 and 6 registering, the waist belt being passed directly through the registering slots of the overlapped ends and thereby holding the set of waistretaining and skirt supporting plates at their adjusted positions at the back of the belt securely, without danger of displacement. And it is also to be observed that the teeth of the waist supporting plates 2 are so fine and so closely grouped that they merely form a roughened or rasped surface on the curved face of said plates, and that the plates 5 are provided with two sets of teeth 8 which project from the same face of the plate in opposite direction. By this construction and arrangement of the parts, it is obvious that there is no upper or lower side to the belt. In other words, the wearer does not have to stop and think just how to put the belt on, either right hand or left hand, as the teeth ,4 will always properly engage the waist no matter which edge of the plate or plates 2 is uppermost, and thesame can be said of the p ate or plates 5, because no matter how the belt is put on, that is, with either edge uppermost, there will always be an upwardly projecting series of teeth 8 to effectively engage the skirt. Moreover, the construction of the teeth is such as to obviate injury to the hand when placing the supporter in position or manipulating the apparel to'properly arrange the same.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is: 4

The herein described combined waist re tainer and skirt supporter consisting of a waist belt and a seriesof plates that are formed with end slots by which they are strung on said waist belt, one of said plates being formed between its slots and on its in:- ner face with a roughened or rasped surface, and the other plate being formedbetween its end slots with a longitudinal slot and with two sets of teeth projecting outwardly, both sets from the same face of the plate, one above the other, the upper set pointing upwardly, and the lower set pointing downwardly, said last named sets of teeth being formed with the metal resulting from the formation of the said longitudinal slot.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

TILLIE KENNELL. LQ 5. 

